Potential whey protein side effects

As stated in “The Essentials of Sport and Exercise Nutrition” by Dr John Berardi and Ryan Andrews [10] most of the fears regarding whey protein supplementation in healthy individuals are unsubstantiated.

“In the past, some have questioned the safety of higher protein intakes, as individuals with renal (kidney) disease and failure experienced a worsening of function when eating a higher protein diet. However, research has shown that in those with healthy kidneys, higher protein intakes present no renal stress and are quite well tolerated. Concerns about calcium loss are unsubstantiated. Within reason, higher protein intakes appear to have no negative consequences.”

But it should be stressed that taking whey protein shakes will never be as effective as getting your protein from whole foods. This is because whilst the shakes are convenient they will lack certain nutrients and minerals that are naturally found in food.

The long term effects

An issue that is affecting more and more people (due to the belief that protein is king) is the long term effects of exceeding their daily protein levels. As stated before, healthy individuals are unlikely to be affected by higher protein intakes. But for those who are consuming double what they should, the risk of high blood pressure, kidney complications and heart disease can become a risk. You would have to be consuming very high amounts though!

Other issues that can occur, weight gain (if over-consumed, protein shakes average around 150-200 cals per shake) and for some people there is the risk of developing an unhealthy relationship with food. For example, taking protein shakes instead of food to control calories.

How to pick the right protein powder

First things first, check the protein level per serving. You want to be hitting at least 25g per serving. You might notice that there are different types on offer – Concentrates, Isolate and Hydrolysates.

I wouldn’t worry too much about which one to get of these as, in my opinion, there isn’t going to be much difference in terms of your results.

If you are looking to get bigger then a mass gaining protein powder might suit you (but you do run the risk of gaining body fat as well – they are high calorie) otherwise I would stick to a low fat/low carb protein powder.

Also, avoid whey protein mixed with Creatine, not because Creatine sucks (in fact it’s my favourite supplement) but because Creatine is really cheap and should be bought separately to save money!

Finally, I would choose Whey protein over Casein protein as studies indicate that Whey outperforms Casein in terms of muscle building {11][12]

Conclusion

To get the most out of whey protein, only use it when a whole food protein choice is unavailable or inconvenient. Track your daily calories and make sure that your protein shakes are not pushing your calories too high which would lead to unwanted weight-gain.

Make sure you are buying good quality whey protein powder that is suited to your goals.

And don’t stress out about the side effects, so long as you aren’t lactose-intolerant (it’s made out of milk after all) and don’t have any kidney problems whey protein is completely safe.

Finally, if you are caught short and don’t have any protein powder available then low fat chocolate milk is a fantastic replacement!

About the Expert

I'm a personal trainer and online coach based in Harrow, London. I've been in the industry as a PT since 2010 but have only recently got into online coaching. I believe that getting in shape is way more simple than most people think. Train regularly, work hard, and track your calories. Most of all be patient and try not to do too much, too soon.

I design sessions that are efficient and effective, I feel that 20 minutes spent doing the right exercises is way more productive than 60 minutes spent doing the wrong ones.